It has been odd conditions today all around. Stay warm! 73

Thanks for all the contacts! A Tarheel would work FB, especially since they use 3/8-24 for the whip. could put a bigger whip on it! 73

Me too! It’s a great key.

I don’t think so since it’s not touchscreen, but it sure fits a lot on that little screen

TU & 73!

Thank you & 73!!

Never say never…Except bugs, it’s fine to say never to a bug 😉 hah i kid. 73 & Merry Christmas Paul!

Appreciate it! Hope you have a Merry Christmas too

I agree! They’re fun to use too :) 73 & Merry Christmas

By the way I really like the tone of the keyer you are using today.

Thank you! Merry Christmas & 73

Great idea! i’ll try to do that soon. 73!

Me too! They’re fun

He does amazing work, won’t find a more solid built key. I’m jealous of you being able to use a bug, I have tried and tried but it just doesn’t click for me haha.

Good question! Technically yes, but it’s not really a conscious thing. I just rock my hand back and forth and hit the dit or dah of the next character with the next side, not really thinking about it. It feels similar to picking a guitar string up and down, you just alternate and make the rhythm you want to sound out the character. I hope that makes sense. It’s not as difficult as it sounds like it would be

@@w4arb Well, since I play guitar, I understand what you're saying completely. Thanks for the quick reply. 73 and happy holidays de KA9TII

Thank you! You as well

TU & Merry Christmas. 73!

Thank you! It’s fun. Cooties feel musical

Thank you sir! I’m a bit out of practice on cootie but getting back in the swing of it. 73

Thank you & 73!

Great question! Sorry in advance for the long answer 😂 First, the JPC-12 vs. the MC-750. The JPC-12 is cheaper, covers 40-6, and works quite well. I’d give 3/5 for build quality. The base unit likes to come apart and is held together by plastic friction sleeves. The whip is a bit flimsy. The included radials love to tangle once you separate them. It’s a loaded vertical on 20/30/40 but it performs well for a loaded vertical and is a nice package. It’s also cheaper. The MC-750, I give a 5/5 build quality. All parts of it are very solid and I’d compare to Chameleon quality. On 40 it’s a loaded vertical, but it’s physically longer so performs better than the JPC-12. On 30, it’s similar to the JPC-12 since the coil is a fixed length and the whip is made to about 9ft. On 20 and up, it’s a full size 1/4 wave vertical and performs like a full size antenna! Both come with nice cases and all the parts needed to get on the air. Now the Gabil, it’s like a tune-able hamstick that breaks down to less a foot. GREAT antenna for carrying on a plane or as a spare antenna. It’s not as good performance as either Chelegance antennas, but man it packs up tiny! Raising it 3-4 feet off the ground with 1/4 wave radials really lets it shine. Hope that helps!!

Thanks so much for the answer to my guestions.You have helped me make my decision which to buy.I would love to get the Alex loop but the $600.00 is a little harder to deal with.I love how easy it sets up and you seem to have very little trouble making contacts.I thought the case it came with looked nice and also has pouches for storing other items.l guess you found the quality of material yo be lacking.Also thanks for putting links to most of the gear you are using.I like your videos and look forward to seeing more.Thanks again for the rapid reply.I know it takes much of your time making replies to your viewers.

Any time! I enjoy talking to folks. That’s the main reason I do my channel. The Alex Loop is certainly expensive, no argument there. Truth be told, if I had to pick just one portable antenna, it would be the MC-750. It performs great, tunes easy, and handles 100W no problem too. 73!

I don’t hike distances for my portable operating. I just like backpacks and loops are a nice balance of performance vs. ease of setup

Hah!! I believe it. My southern blood gets cold easy 😂

It’s at 600hz, that’s the tone I always like. 700 is too harsh to my ears haha

Agreed! & 73

Very cool! Always glad to hear you. I need to add you to my ham alert so I can catch you on one of your activations!

Very nice! I have been impressed with it. It’s about the same size overall, but has more useful space.

I ordered it from an Etsy shop, here’s the link: www.etsy.com/listing/1682076473/

@@w4arb Thanks Aaron. Enjoy your videos! W4LOO

As far as I’ve seen, it’s not too hard to build 80m and even 160m mag loops. I intend to find out!

I am planning to!

Good observation on my single paddle keying style! I wish someone would make a portable single paddle that I liked. As far as voltage, it’s 12 volts. USB C Power Delivery (PD) is a protocol that uses USB C, but has variable voltage output. In this case, I’m using a cable that triggers the battery to deliver 12V exactly. It’s super convenient for QRP rigs. 73!

Thank you & 73!

I look forward to it too, Keep up the practice and hope to hear you on the air soon!

Haha! Man, that sounds stressful 😂😂 I’ll stick with morsing for fun. Hope you’re doing well too man! 73

@w4arb I wasn't aware some folks that do pota and sota also participate in trail running races and do the CW at the same time. That sounds intriguing, but i wouldn't try running up a trail after knee surgery lol

Thanks for watching my friend! dit dit

@@w4arb always

They should! It’s about the same size main compartment. I did try it with one of the alexloop pouches and it fit well. It’s pretty hard to find backpacks with a full open main compartment that aren’t massive travel bags. I really like this one so far.

@@w4arb I looked for a long time for one for either an 818 or 857. It seems simple, but very few open all the way. That one Gigaparts makes/sells does, but it's huge and doesn't look well suited for carrying very far. Now that I think of it, I wonder if a tailor could swap out the zipper for something better.

I’m sure a tailor could. Also there are some camera backpacks that I found that would theoretically work. But this one works well for what I wanted, plus lots of molle to attach exterior pouches and whips to for extra gear 😅

Thank you! It always does the job. I average about 30-40 QSOs per hour while doing POTA activating with it.

The one I’m using in newer videos is the newer model. It’s a different tuning box/capacitor and easier to tune, with reduction gearing and a band indication dial. But performance wise, they’re the same thing. :)

Pipe and manhattan with a wood stove in a garage sounds like a great relaxing time. Very nice on the 705, if I had to choose just one radio to own, it would definitely be the 705. Mag loops my favorite portable antenna. At home I use a Hustler 4BTV for 40-20-15-10 and a 60 something foot random wire for the WARC bands. The alex loop when set up outside, I’d say the bigger antenna will beat it on 40 by a lot, a little on 30. On 20-10, a 3’ diameter magloop really isn’t much of a compromise. It’s pretty darn efficient. Also the noise floor on them is nearly non existent so weak signals just pop out of no where. It’ll work indoors too, and you’ll make contacts, but certainly better set up outside. The tradeoff with a mag loop is you do have to retune them when moving even a few khz. But once you get used to it, it’s a piece of cake. If you look up VK5KLT’s write ups on mag loops, they’re very enlightening. Long answer but hope that helps. 73.

@w4arb awesome info thanks much.

I think (you’d have to check me on this) that Yaesu’s S-meters are only accurate when the preamp is on (AKA “IPO” is turned off). Which sucks because a lot of times, the preamp needs to be off or the noise floor is too high. But either way, agreed S-meters and how readable someone is are often quite different. 73

Technically it would if it had a good ground/radials under it. like a metal railing might work